Not every autumn fright journey has to frighten players. Including beloved classics like animated detectives to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, many Halloween-themed staples provide fun without needing increasing anxiety. There’s also, a increasing selection of eerie-charming releases including spooky themes, though lacking the keep-you-awake level of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and serves as an outstanding comfortable alternative to the truly terrifying releases of 2025.
An Original Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Described as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a undead youth called Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they begin an adventure to return daylight to their gloomy environment. Their appearance evokes Funko Pops combined with the figures from a animated feature. Their pale-skinned and tired-looking aesthetic draws inspiration from the visual style of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a classic suitable for everyone journey. The duo builds an unbreakable bond over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, hey, possibly zombies can be friendly.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The innovative label comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch amidst the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and progress through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures without a lamp is shone on them.
They have to work in tandem — well, you’ll use them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange obstacles in the surroundings, creating ways for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are floating, diorama-like designs that the perspective rotates in sync with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, taking the friends around a amusement park and through a haunted house, amid other places. There’s a “diorama view” feature that permits you to pull back and spin the levels, simultaneously to appreciate the designs and search for routes that may not have been obvious.
Small Challenges and General Adventure
This represents one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes may or may not travel. You may need to randomly encounter a few random elements to determine which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nevertheless, those minor speedbumps don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about several hours worth of puzzles. Later levels integrate minor stealth and dynamic sequences with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and somewhat unexpected — conclusion.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the terror of intense horror releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo platform, PS5, PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes has been released on multiple platforms and provides a pleasurable option for fans in search of Halloween fun minus the intense scares.
